Swedes come out in force to watch partial eclipse

People gathered in public places around Sweden to watch the partial solar eclipse at around 7pm on Wednesday evening, with hundreds gathering at the Observatorielunden – a former observatory in central Stockholm – to experience the phenomenon.

"This is especially exciting because it is a very large solar eclipse. The moon covers the sun by up to about 80 percent in Stockholm. And we haven't seen such a large solar eclipse since 2015," Signe Skyttberg, chairwoman of Astronomical Youth Stockholm District, told TT at the site.

Solar eclipse glasses, which allow people to look at the sun without damaging your eyes, sold out in many places in Sweden, indicating the widespread interest in viewing the phenomenon.

Skyttberg said that people had been drawn to Observatorielunden as it is the site of Stockholm's old observatory and also where her office is located.

"So it's quite a historic place that's important to us. The solar eclipse is also followed by another celestial phenomenon – the Perseid meteor shower, which is visible later in the evening. So there will probably be some who will stay to watch that too," she said.

Swedish vocabulary: en solförmörkelse – an eclipse

Green Party wants every parking place to be a charging point

Sweden's Green Party on Wednesday announced a new electrification pledge which it has dubbed folkel, or "the people's electricity" (a pun on folköl, a light beer).

Among other things, the. party says it wants to cut taxes on renewable electricity and make every parking space into a charging point.

An a joint summer speech on Wednesday, the party's spokespeople Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén called for Sweden to abandon the energy policies instituted by the current government, which they said had both harmed efforts to reduce emissions and also increased inequality.

"Sweden needs a new direction, with a government that acts for the climate, nature and equality in our country," Lind said.

"Every parking place should also be a charging point," Helldén said.

The party also wants to launch a Sverigekort or "Sweden card", a public transport card that will cost 500 kronor a month and be valid throughout Sweden, increase child benefits and take steps towards a four-day workweek. 

Swedish vocabulary: jämlikhet – equality

Swedish government risks defeat on family reunion bill

Sweden's government risks being defeated on Thursday on a bill tightening rules for family reunion, with opposition politicians arguing in a debate on Thursday that the rules as proposed risked giving some foreigners who get pregnant a choice of either having an abortion or seeing a family member deported.

MPs are due to vote on the bill on Thursday morning, shortly after a vote on a bill establishing a foreign espionage agency.

In a debate on Wednesday, Sweden’s opposition parties accused the government of “cruel” family reunion rules.

The opposition parties have submitted a motion which will remove new maintenance and housing requirements for people renewing residence permits on family reunion grounds. They have also submitted a motion that will reduce the proposed waiting period for family reunion from two years to one.

“The policy is cruel,” Social Democrat MP Ola Möller said. “It builds deportations into the legislation itself as a recurring element.”

Migration Minister Johan Forssell defended the proposals, accusing the opposition of abandoning stricter migration policies.

“Now the same parties that once led us into the refugee crisis say that we should return to exactly the same policies that led us into it,” he said.

The opposition needs support from at least two Liberal MPs to defeat the government.

Swedish vocabulary: utvisningar – deportations

Social Democrat leader confirms plans for Swedish citizenship transitional rules

The leader of Sweden's opposition Social Democrats has confirmed that the party will add transitional arrangements to the stricter citizenship rules which came into force in June, meeting the demands of the Fair Transition campaign.

In an interview with Radio Sweden, Magdalena Andersson confirmed that she aimed to put a new law before parliament which would mean that people who had already submitted applications for citizenship before the new law came into force on June 6th should have their case decided on the basis of the law that was in force when they applied.

Asked if the promise from her party's migration spokesperson Ida Karkiainen would still stand after an election, Andersson said simply, "Yes, it does".

If a new government brought in transitional rules, the roughly 100,000 people who applied before the new rules came into force on June 6th but who have not yet received a decision will have their cases decided under the old rules, meaning they will only have to have lived in Sweden five years rather than eight (in default cases) and will not have to meet language, civics knowledge and maintenance requirements.